


Somewhere Far From Here

by notsofriendlyghosts



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Erwin Smith, Bottom Erwin Week, Cuddling, Distance, Feelings, First Time, Light Angst, M/M, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:40:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4216824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsofriendlyghosts/pseuds/notsofriendlyghosts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In another world, another life, perhaps they could find happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somewhere Far From Here

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to Bottom Erwin Week for days 5&6 (First Time & Distance). I'm actually proud of myself that I got this done on time and kept it relatively short! Enjoy~

A groan of wood and a heavy sigh disturb the silence of the room, pulling Levi's eyes to the man standing in the doorway—weary and worn like the room of the inn they find themselves in.

The surprise that lights up his blue eyes lasts less than a second, any human emotion lost again behind that hardened mask he has spent so many years building and reinforcing. Levi hates that mask. He hates it like he hates his own.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now," Erwin comments, fatigue weighing down his voice, making him sound drunk and disaffected.

"I haven't been sleeping," Levi replies with a quiet scoff, standing from the armchair in the corner. His bare feet flex against the chill of the floor—his belts in a neat pile on the plain desk against the back wall, boots resting empty and drooping against the sturdy leg of it. "You haven't been either."

Erwin nods. This wasn't new information for either of them.

So much had been happening these days. Nothing good. Anything that seemed like hope always had an unbelievable pressure of failure and disaster bearing down upon it. Though Erwin has plans to use Eren's Titan power to somehow overcome the obstacles in their fight for Humanity, Levi can't help but think that the presence of the Shifters is far more of a curse than a blessing.

He knows somewhere in his mind, Erwin feels the same. But in Erwin's case, he has to use everything within his power to advance, to progress. He can't sit on his ass and hate Titans, then go about his normal day like any of the citizens that reside relatively comfortably behind the Walls. Everyone is counting on Erwin to lead them to victory. Lead them to salvation. Lead them to life.

And as he leads he sees struggle. He sees complications and surprises that set them back and destroy all progress. He sees desperation and frantic fights for survival.

He sees death.

Deaths of their comrades. Deaths of the people they are supposed to protect. Deaths that are his fault. Deaths that, though he says they are a necessary evil in this war, he takes personally; each lost life is the stab of a knife in his body. But as the Commander—riddled with knives—he must walk strong. Though he bleeds, he must show no weakness.

Levi has learned to hide his own weaknesses all his life; he had to be strong as a child, in the Underground, in the Scouting Legion. He had to learn to harden further as he watched more and more people around him fall into the cold hands of Death.

He sees what Erwin sees, but the difference between them is that Erwin holds all the guilt. He takes on all the blame.

Levi only knows this because Erwin's mask has slipped a few times. Only by accident. Only ever in front of Levi, behind a closed door.

It's probably obvious to their colleagues that they have slept together; they've shared a room more than a few times, and have been locked undisturbed in Erwin's office for far too long.

But they don't know what happens. They don't know that with all the quick fucks and stress release, that Erwin's mask breaks for just a moment. They don't see him lose his strict control of his emotions as he gives in and crushes Levi in a vice-like grip and pounds into him from behind. They don't see him afterwards, overwhelmed and quiet until he can fill the cracks—sanded and smooth so he can acceptably show his face to another person again.

They both need the physical comfort whether they are rough, or on the rarer occasion, quiet and slow. But anything more than that is too much. They can't afford to get any more attached than they already are when their lives revolve around the thought that the person sitting next to them, laughing and enjoying a meal, would be in bloody pieces by the next morning.

"I'm assuming you don't want to talk about the meetings?" Levi asks, striding up to Erwin as he closes the door, loosening his cravat and pulling it to rest open against his chest.

"Not now, no," Erwin replies, standing still as a statue while Levi's nimble fingers begin to unbuckle his gear belts for him. "I have too much on my mind at the moment."

Levi lets out a little huff. "How is that different from any other time?" He pushes Erwin's jacket from his broad shoulders and takes it away to drape it over the back of the desk chair.

He turns to see that Erwin has shrugged his belts from his upper body, the thick leather straps dangling uselessly about his waist. When Levi stands in front of him again, he looks up at Erwin's face and sighs. His bright eyes look so dull—tired and void of life.

Each button on Erwin's shirt comes undone before Levi pulls it from its neatly tucked place inside the hem of his pants. He presses a soft kiss to Erwin's sternum, the gesture too gentle and making Erwin tense.

"You should relax tonight," Levi says. "You've dealt with a load of horseshit today. Don't you want to relieve some of it?" Levi knows he's toeing the line with his gentle kisses up Erwin's neck, bordering on something too emotional, but he means well. He knows Erwin needs to relax. _Really relax_ , if only for half a night.

"Perhaps, but...I can find another way if you're too tir—"

"I'm not tired," Levi says, cutting him off. He knows Erwin is just making excuses, like he does every time they do this. "I want to. Any way you want. Anything you like."

"Ah..." The noncommittal noise makes Levi huff again through his nose. It’s going to be another one of those nights where Erwin is stubborn, reluctant to take what he wants. Levi can understand why it’s hard for him to take what he wants and needs—they don’t have much of that luxury in their line of work.

Levi flicks his untied cravat from his neck, unbuttoning his own shirt and abandoning the belt holding up his pants. "We can do it rough... Or slow... You can tie me up, whatever, I don't care. What do you want to do to me?"

Erwin sits heavily on the edge of the bed, the sparsely stuffed mattress dipping under his weight. He works off his boots, focusing next on removing the last of his belts from his legs. Levi takes them from him, setting them next to his own and waiting for an answer, not sure if he will even get one.

"I don't know, Levi."

His complete lack of energy is worrisome; it makes Levi wish for a fleeting moment that they weren't here, in this world. Maybe there was another planet—another universe, even—where there weren't Titans and they wouldn't have to be in the military. Somewhere where the only things Erwin would have to worry about were how hot his morning coffee was and what color shirt he would wear that day. Somewhere where he wouldn't have any responsibilities, somewhere where someone else would take care of him.

"...Do you want me to do it?"

Erwin looks up at him. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly feeling a buzz of nerves, Levi clears his throat and steps up in front of Erwin. He pulls Erwin's shirt off and drops it to the floor to be taken care of later and his hands drag up his bare torso until they reach his shoulders. Erwin hesitates for a moment, but lets Levi push him until he's laying on his back on the bed.

"I'll do it all. You don't have to do anything."

Levi sees the protest before it leaves Erwin's lips, so he shushes him with a sharp hiss. He pushes at him enough to get him to shift himself backwards until he is fully on the mattress before he climbs up and settles his weight on Erwin, straddling his hips.

"Just let me do it. Forget about everything."

He can see the struggle happening in Erwin's head. Levi always instigated, but Erwin always did most of the work. Even in the bedroom, he is still in charge. He still has the responsibility, and the guilt if anything went wrong.

Levi doesn't want that right now. He’s tired of Erwin focusing his attention on _his_ pleasure when he should be focusing on his own. He wants Erwin to learn that he doesn't always have to bear all the weight. He wants him to enjoy this one fleeting freedom, this release from everything he has to worry about.

"Don't think about strategies. Or your superiors. Or subordinates. Or cadets. Or Titans. Don't even remember the sound of the maneuver gear gas or the smell of leather and metal."

Levi feels a thrill run through him as he gives Erwin such personal commands, and sees him slowly begin to obey, resting back against the comforter laid out over the inn's bed.

He leans down over Erwin, thighs hugging his waist as he lays warm, wet kisses under his jaw and down his neck.

"Focus on what you feel right now," he says in a quiet voice, nearly a whisper. "Like this." He places a slow kiss over Erwin's Adam's apple. "And this." He sucks at his collar bone, dragging his hands down his sides.

Erwin lets out a long, slow sigh, nodding to Levi and placing a calloused palm on Levi's back to rest over the fabric of his shirt. Erwin must be truly exhausted, Levi figures, if he is already giving in this easily to him.

The fabric of Levi’s shirt pulls tight as Erwin attempts to pull it off of him, but Levi shoos the hands away, shrugging it off himself and dropping it over the side of the bed. He leans back down into Erwin, body folded over and pressing their bare chests together; he runs his hands back up Erwin’s sides, the touch making him twitch as Levi’s fingers dance over his sensitive ribs.

He doesn’t know if he’s pushing it with the way he is touching Erwin, and with the way his cheek rests against his chest, but Levi drags his hands slowly over his body without any protests from the man beneath him. He feels every dip and swell of hard-earned muscle, every nick and scar, every breath he pulls into his lungs, every beat of his pulse. He wants to grow old listening to the sound of his heart, pumping easy and relaxed.

They never touch like this—too gentle and too personal—but Erwin hasn’t stopped him yet. Levi can still pretend they have all the time and not a care in the world, the two of them just pressed warmly against each other and lazily exploring.

But that isn’t the reality, and he doesn’t know if it ever will be—for either of them.

Erwin’s hand gripping his hair and tugging lightly has Levi moving his attention away from his frivolous thoughts and to Erwin’s chest, bruised and angry in the same places as his own from their belts that always hug their bodies so tightly.

He massages over his chest with rolling palms and pressing fingers, making Erwin groan when he finds a particularly tight knot and rubs it out with his thumb. The sound is music to Levi’s ears, though Erwin still tries to silence himself.

Levi frowns slightly and kisses Erwin’s sternum again, moving his fingers to tweak at Erwin’s nipples until they are stiff under his touch. The small hitch in Erwin’s breath pleases him, so he moves his mouth to one of the perked nipples, sucking on it and flicking his tongue over the sensitive tip. Levi rolls his hips into Erwin’s and sucks harder, switching sides when he feels Erwin start to grind back against him. He sucks at his skin and pulls his mouth down, dragging his teeth over the sensitive bud and getting a shuddering breath that makes a spark of arousal shoot down his spine.

Though he is giving in to Levi taking the lead, tension still pulls at Erwin's muscles—bunching his shoulders and furrowing his brow. He can hear Erwin muttering under his breath and he’s pretty sure he hears “Titan” in his mumbled words. He needs more of a distraction.

“What do you want, Erwin?” Levi prompts, pulling his hands away from his body. Erwin looks at him confused for a moment, quiet and not knowing quite what to say.

“You can keep doing what you wan—”

“What do _you_ want?” Levi fixes his eyes to Erwin’s, wanting a straight answer for once. They stare at each other until Erwin finally speaks again.

“Pants off,” is all he says. Levi complies—the short request from Erwin isn’t much, but it’s a start. He sits up and unbuckles Erwin’s belt, scooting backwards as he pulls his pants down and all the way off his legs until he’s standing at the foot of the bed.

“Yours too.” Levi flashes his eyes up to Erwin’s face and finds him watching him. He slides his own pants down his hips and lets them pool at his ankles before he kicks them off.

They watch each other, eyes scanning the other’s naked body and taking all of the other in; it’s an intimate moment that neither of them imagined would turn them on, but they both find their cocks hardening and their pulses quickening. Erwin seems a little more impatient than usual, reaching down to stroke his cock as Levi crawls back up on the bed between his spread legs.

“What did I tell you about letting me do it,” Levi murmurs, replacing Erwin’s hand with his own and pulling at his cock in slow strokes. “Want me to suck you off?”

Erwin nods, resting his head back against the pillows and closing his eyes. Levi holds the base of Erwin’s cock as he sucks wet kisses up and down the length of his shaft. He breathes hotly against the flushed head, but doesn’t take it into his mouth when he feels Erwin tense up again beneath him.

“Erwin.” He says his name shortly to get his attention, finding the cool blue of his eyes again when his lids flutter open. “Watch me.”

He mouths wet and hot against the head, already making Erwin’s hips shift up into the touch. Their eyes lock together as he sucks the head into his mouth, bobbing shallowly and wrapping his arm around one of Erwin’s thick, muscular thighs to rest it over his shoulder. He pulls off, dabbing and flicking his tongue against the slit in a way that makes Erwin groan low in his throat and bite his lip against any other noises.

Levi bobs his head over Erwin’s cock quickly, taking more and more into his mouth, still watching his eyes. He moans at the taste of Erwin on his tongue, the vibration from the sound making Erwin buck up and grab a fistful of Levi’s hair. His fingers flex against Levi's scalp, pushing gently down on the back of his head. Stroking the base with the aid of his saliva, Levi takes him in further, angling his head so the head of Erwin’s cock brushes the back of his throat.

He holds down Erwin’s hips when they try to buck and he sinks further, resisting the urge to gag as he takes him all the way in, his nose nuzzling into the blond curls at the base. The moan from Erwin is loud when he swallows around the cock in his mouth, yet to Levi it's unsatisfying; the sound is still partially held behind his lips and it annoys Levi that he isn’t being open with his pleasure. He pulls all the way off, dripping saliva over Erwin’s balls before he wipes his mouth on the back of his hand and takes a few panting breaths.

“I want to hear you.”

He sucks one of Erwin’s testicles into his mouth, rolling it on his tongue as he continues to stroke his shaft with his hand; it falls from his sucking mouth with a quiet pop and he gives the other one the same attention. _Finally_ Erwin lets out a noise—quiet though it is—unrestrained and from parted lips.

Levi sucks his lips back up the underside of his cock and continues to lightly massage his balls between his fingers. He gets another gasp and a quiet moan, Erwin’s eyelids fluttering shut again when he sucks and licks at the sensitive spot under the head of his cock and rubs his fingers firmly into the space behind his balls.

Being a bit bold and taking a risk, Levi slides his fingers back further, brushing his middle one over Erwin’s untouched hole. Erwin jolts and gasps, making Levi pull his hands back and sit up slightly to look at him again.

“Was that too much?”

Erwin pants lightly, his cheeks stained with a hot blush. “...No...”

Levi’s eyebrows quirk up, surprised. It’s Levi’s turn to flush hotly, aroused at the sudden thought of being inside Erwin and making him feel as good as he always felt to be taken by him. He was planning to prep himself and ride Erwin, but now...this is an entirely new prospect. He just isn’t sure if Erwin is on board with something like that, something that would make him that much more vulnerable.

Brushing his fingers against him again, he rubs gently, not quite pushing inside yet. His voice is rough when he asks, “Do you want them inside you?”

Erwin nods, but hesitantly. “Is there anything for lubrication?” Levi moves off the bed reluctantly, quickly digging through a small chest on the table beside the bed and producing a small flask of oil. He coats his fingers, noticing how they shake the slightest bit in his excitement.

“This place may be a dump, but the staff are surprisingly accommodating,” Levi states offhandedly as he sets the glass bottle aside and lays back between Erwin’s legs. He sets his mouth back to work on Erwin’s cock, working him up again before he presses a slick finger to his twitching hole.

His finger slips in easily to the first knuckle and Erwin sucks in a sharp breath at the feeling of the first intrusion into his body. Sucking at the head of his cock, Levi slowly slides his finger the rest of the way in, watching as some of the tension returns between Erwin’s thick eyebrows.

“Relax,” Levi tells him, wiggling his finger gently against the resistance of Erwin’s body. “Just let go.”

Erwin grunts and presses his head back into the pillows, shifting his hips up to give Levi a better angle. He takes his time with Erwin, spending many minutes teasing his cock with his mouth and thrusting his finger slowly in and out of Erwin's ass. He crooks his finger, searching for that spot inside Erwin that would make him feel even better.

When he finds it, Erwin holds his breath, releasing it slow and shuddering as Levi continues to suck and lick at the head of his cock and rub against his prostate. His legs shift against the covers and he returns a hand to Levi's hair, guiding him up and down his cock again and rocking his hips up into his mouth.

Levi slowly pulls his finger out to the tip and pushes in a second finger alongside it. Erwin lets out a pathetic little noise, hardly audible, but Levi still hears it. He can see the pleasure written all over Erwin's face, but it's still contorted in an attempt to control his reactions to everything Levi is doing to him; he's starting to backtrack. Levi sighs as he stretches his fingers apart and Erwin's face twists against the sounds he wants to make. Levi needs him to fully relax or this whole thing would be pointless.

"Erwin."

Erwin's eyelids flutter open, though they are still partially lidded in his lust, and he stares directly into Levi's eyes again as he continues to be fingered by him.

"Do you like me doing this?"

He receives a quiet reply, strained but less hesitant than before. "Yes."

"Do you like me being on top?"

Erwin's voice grows a little louder, more confident, more sure. "Yes."

"Do you like not having to make the decisions." Levi pulls his fingers almost all the way out and presses back in with a third slick finger. "Or give any orders?"

The restraint in Erwin's face finally melts away and he lets a guttural moan force its way out of his chest when Levi rubs all three of his fingers into his prostate. " _Yes!_ "

Levi closes his eyes with relief, stretching him with his fingers only for a few more moments until he pulls them all away from Erwin's hole. Crawling up Erwin's body, he reaches over him to the table to get the oil again. He presses up against him, grinding his leaking cock into Erwin's stomach, his face in the crook of Erwin's neck. He tilts his head up to whisper hotly in his ear.

"I want to fuck you so bad," he groans, gasping when Erwin grabs his face and crushes their mouths together in a kiss that is all teeth and tongue. He takes the oil from Levi's hand as he continues to kiss him roughly, pouring the rest of the liquid into his hand and stroking Levi's cock with long strokes to slicken it, then faster strokes to tease.

Levi pulls away, his bottom lip still caught between Erwin's teeth until he releases it with a grunt. He shuffles back down and positions himself between Erwin's legs, pushing his large thighs against his shoulders and leaning over him to get at the best angle he can manage. He grabs the base of his cock and presses the head down against Erwin's hole, rubbing him teasingly.

He pushes in slowly, watching Erwin's face twitch with discomfort as he is breached by something thicker than Levi's slender fingers. Levi considers Erwin lucky that he doesn't have a cock like his, with how tight Erwin's body is hugging him. Huffing small breaths out his nose, Levi rocks his hips shallowly until all of his cock is inside Erwin.

Levi moans, thrusting his hips slowly in a rolling motion. Erwin feels amazing; he wonders if this is how Erwin always feels when he fucks him: so alive, so _exhilarated_. Having someone—having _Erwin_ —under him, groaning and panting as he thrusts into his most vulnerable place, has Levi's heart flipping and fluttering like the excited wings of a bird; it's a feeling that usually only accompanies that sense of weightlessness when he flies freely through the air, propelled by gas and metal.

Lifting Erwin's hips in his grip, he tries aiming his slow thrusts for his prostate, coming up short for a few strokes before he gets the angle right and hits home. Erwin lets a low moan slip past his lips, starting to rock his body to meet Levi's movements.

"Go faster," Erwin groans, staring down between his legs at the place where their bodies meet. Levi obliges him, thrusting in quicker and harder and making them both groan at the change of pace.

Levi's abs already feel tight from the strain of thrusting into Erwin, but it's a pleasurable sensation. He shifts Erwin's thighs on his shoulders, readjusting his grip and pressing his sweating temple to one of his knees.

He looks down at Erwin, his lips parted around his panting breaths and grunting groans, his eyes half lidded and taking in every movement of Levi's; the lax pleasure on his face makes Levi want to sing this miracle to the heavens.

Erwin had given up so much to be the commander he needed to be. He had given up his happiness. He had given up his dreams of having a family. He had given up his ability to be compassionate and to love. He had given up _everything_.

But at this moment Levi is taking the lead, holding his thighs tighter as he thrusts into him and taking those losses away for just a handful of minutes. He can feel and hear how Erwin has let go, how he has allowed himself this moment of freedom.

And the look in his eyes...

His brow is furrowed in concentration to keep up with Levi's fast pace, sweat beading on his own temples, face red—but his eyes are soft. Levi can't recall them ever looking so soft... That look makes Levi feel the humanity seep back into him, something he hasn't felt in a very long time.

Erwin's hand is touching the side of his face, and he throws caution to the wind when he nuzzles his cheek into it and presses a kiss to his warm palm. The hand slides back to tangle in his hair, resting against the shaved back of his head and pulling him further over his body.

Levi follows the guiding hand, abandoning one of Erwin's thighs to press the other down further and rest his free elbow down along Erwin's side. He wishes irritatedly that he was taller so he could reach Erwin's lips, so he could kiss the life back into his lungs. He presses his forehead into Erwin's chest instead and reaches down to wrap a hand around Erwin's straining cock, stroking it in time with his thrusts until they became stuttering and erratic.

When Erwin becomes quiet, Levi knows he's about to come, so he tightens his grip and rocks harder into him until he hears that long, drawn-out moan above him as Erwin releases onto his hand and his own stomach. The tight heat surrounding his cock pulses with Erwin's release, bringing him to the edge; he pulls out, dropping Erwin's thigh and jerking himself off until his come mingles with Erwin's on his stomach and his own moan rips from his throat.

He drops forward, suddenly weak, and barely catches himself on his shaking arms—Erwin's hands are there on his body to hold him steady as he slumps on his side next to him.

Levi doesn't give himself a chance to come down, moving to get a towel from the small adjoining bathroom, but he is held fast by Erwin's arm wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him against the side of his chest. His eyes widen at the gesture; they never cuddle afterwards, always off to sleep or on their way.

Erwin takes a corner of the sheets to clean himself and Levi's hand, folding it out of the way when he is done and turning on his side to face Levi. His fingers are gentle and wandering as they brush over Levi's hip. He still hasn't started to rebuild his mask, the emotion flickering freely in his bright eyes.

Levi looks away, somehow feeling embarrassed now by the intimate eye contact. He closes his eyes when Erwin shifts his other arm to pet Levi's hair, his bicep pillowing his head.

"Thank you," he says quietly, his voice is clear.

Levi spares a glance up at him, catching an emotion in those eyes that he can't quite place. "You don't have to thank me."

Erwin gives him a small smile and closes his eyes, drifting off finally to further escape his hellish life.

Levi turns from him, moving down to rest beneath Erwin's arm and free of his touch save for the heavy weight of his arm that stays draped over his waist. In his attempt to sleep, he finds himself staring fixedly at the peeling wallpaper in a high corner of the walls. An ache pulls tight at his chest, and he wonders if this is the same feeling Erwin gets when he becomes overwhelmed from feeling so good and then comes back to reality. He places the feeling as one that makes his whole body ache when he realizes they can't truly have happiness together.

It hurts.

Levi tentatively brushes his fingers against Erwin's, feeling his steady, warm breaths against the back of his neck.

"I love you," Levi admits, closing his eyes tightly against the darkness of the room, his words so quiet that he's not sure if he truly said them out loud.

His breath freezes in his lungs when the arm around him shifts; he hopes it's just Erwin adjusting in his sleep, that he hadn't heard him, but the grip becomes more firm on his naked hip and a long, soft kiss is pressed into the back of Levi's neck. Levi shudders out a breath, angry at himself for his mistake.

He is pulled onto his back, meeting the tired eyes that are looking down at him. That softness is still blurring the sharp, hard blue of his eyes, though now they look as if they hold a sadness as well. He closes his eyes when Erwin leans down, and feels the softest press of lips against his own that he's ever felt.

They don't kiss like this. They kiss hard and rough, caught up in lust. They don't kiss like the only person that matters in the world is the one their lips are pressed against.

This kind of kiss is just as dangerous as saying "I love you." It's just as dangerous as a gentle caress and a meaningful look—an intimate moment between two people.

They can't afford these feelings; they open them up to more pain at the inevitability that they will die too soon. And that one will probably die before the other, maybe even see it. Maybe carry their body back. Maybe scatter their ashes.

But they kiss and hold each other well into the night, gentle presses of lips and light brushes of tongue. And Levi feels likes he's choking, his chest crushing down on his lungs because he feels like he might cry for the first time in many years.

The last time he cried was when Farlan and Isabel died. He didn't cry when so many others fell around him; he didn't even cry when his squad died—but this moment, this _feeling_ , makes him want to cry all the tears he's ever held back.

Erwin pulls his lips away and Levi lets him, though he wants to keep following after them. "Did you mean what you said?"

Levi just nods and says, "I'm sorry," because he shouldn't have given in to his feelings. He shouldn't have given in to his foolish thoughts. He knows he fucked up—he crossed the line he silently swore not to.

Erwin kisses him again, a firm pressure, encompassing and warm. "I'm sorry too," he says, and Levi finally fully realizes that Erwin feels exactly the same way.

He presses more fervent kisses to Erwin's lips, sucking lightly at them and wrapping his arms around him until Erwin takes the lead again and slows him down. He rubs his hand calmly over the bumps of Levi's spine, feeling each vertebra, memorizing each little detail.

They hug each other close and tuck against each other, finally letting sleep take them in the late hours of the night. They sleep soundly, through the whole night for the first time in forever—hoping that when they open their eyes to the morning light that they are in a different room, somewhere far from this place.


End file.
